With a nasty bug sweeping the globe, Santa's workshop is forced to close and all his elves placed into lockdown. Without access to the high tech toy-making machines in the workshop, there's no way the elves can possibly make all the toys they need this Christmas, and they fall into despair. Could this be the year that the magic of Christmas is lost forever? The newest, youngest and smallest elf on record refuses to accept this thought and wants nothing more than to make Christmas magic for all the children on Santa's list. Inspired by her own bow-tying skills, she starts making gifts from whatever she can find. But her parents, convinced that the only way to make toys today is by pushing buttons on a machine, tell her it's pointless. The smallest elf stumbles upon an old workshop in her back garden, full of tools and perfectly matched to her size. The workshop was her Gran's - a small elf too - and inspired, she quickly learns how to make toys out of wool, wood and other things with the help of her animal friends. Just when she thinks she's cracked it, she learns from Santa that the only way he can make the sleigh fly is to make EVERY SINGLE PRESENT on the list. And she's way, way off. Luckily the other small elves in the village have been watching this saga unfold. Keen to save Christmas too, they join her in making every last toy in one epic final push on Christmas Eve Eve - ready for Santa to fill his sleigh and take the toys out to the world. As the sleigh takes to the sky we realise that Mikka has done it! Saved Christmas for all - It's astounding, the things you can do when you're small.

Collaborative working has been increasingly viewed as a good practice for organizations to achieve efficiency. Organizations that work well in collaboration may have access to new sources of funding, deliver new, improved, and more integrated services, make savings on shared costs, and exchange knowledge, information and expertise. Collaboration and the Semantic Web: Social Networks, Knowledge Networks and Knowledge Resources showcases cutting-edge research on the intersections of Semantic Web, collaborative work, and social media research, exploring how the resources of so-called social networking applications, which bring people together to interact and encourage sharing of personal information and ideas, can be tapped by Semantic Web techniques, making shared Web contents readable and processable for machine and intelligent applications, as well as humans. Semantic technologies have shown their potential for integrating valuable knowledge, and they are being applied to the composition of digital learning and working platforms. Integrated semantic applications, linked data, social networks, and networked digital solutions can now be used in collaborative environments and present participants with the context-aware information that they need.

"D'Amato has the soul of a poet."
-Phyllis Johnson, Tidewater Teacher Magazine

If you have visited Italy or are going soon, you probably know the basics: ordering a coffee will get you an espresso, don't plan to shop between 2:00 and 4:00 PM, and Italians tip about 5 percent compared to our 15 percent. However, if someone tells you to locate the zebra stripes, asks if you want to borrow a phone, or recommends some local cannoli, there's a good chance you'll be caught off guard.

During a seventeen-day escapade in a remote town two hours south of Naples, D'Amato and his students discovered the nuances of Italian society and much more. From being pick-pocketed to realizing there was no drinking age, the teenagers confronted many unanticipated situations.

Whether you are contemplating a vacation in Italy or wondering what happens when a teacher takes students four thousand miles from home, D'Amato's travel journal will serve as an intimate guide to the pain and pleasure of cross-cultural immersion. His captivating accounts are filled with impassioned observations and practical advice that will help readers avoid the potential pitfalls of traveling abroad. Roam Italy will make even jaded world travelers slow down to savor the oft-missed beauty and meaning embedded in seemingly ordinary "everyday" experiences.

Concentrating on international intellectual property law, this volume is a collection of works by current authors in the field. Their work is supplemented by numerous essays and notes prepared by the editors. The controlling provisions of the major treaties in the field are included in a comprehensive appendix. The editors have organized the book according to the theories underlying the protection of international intellectual property rights. For example, they have considered the historical and philosophical foundation of copyright protection in the context of the protection of culture and personality, while issues regarding compulsory licensing to ensure public use of certain forms of intellectual property have been illustrated by examples drawn from patent protection. The problem of "harmonization" is addressed through many diverse examples from intellectual property protection. And the closely-related field of the protection of cultural patrimony is also included.

Facility location theory develops the idea of locating one or more facilities by optimizing suitable criteria such as minimizing transportation cost, or capturing the largest market share. The contributions in this book focus an approach to facility location theory through game theoretical tools highlighting situations where a location decision is faced by several decision makers and leading to a game theoretical framework in non-cooperative and cooperative methods. Models and methods regarding the facility location via game theory are explored and applications are illustrated through economics, engineering, and physics. Mathematicians, engineers, economists and computer scientists working in theory, applications and computational aspects of facility location problems using game theory will find this book useful.

Neuropschology with Asians and Asian Americans

Practical and Theoretical Considerations

J. Mark Davis and Rik Carl D'Amato, editors

The challenge of cultural competence for health providers is more than the recognition of other ethnicities: it entails the balancing of group and individual factors to apply relevant information in diagnostic and therapeutic settings. Particularly in need of culturally appropriate services are Asians and Asian Americans, populations that are diverse, growing, and underserved by Asian practitioners.

"Neuropsychologywith Asians and Asian Americans "takes cultural neuroscience to new levels in its variety and usefulness. Focusing on the largest groups of Far East and Southeast Asian descent, this leading-edge reference examines the influence of culture on psychological processes and identifies sociocultural factors as they influence neurological aspects of client presentation. This expert coverage goes beyond well-known constructs of "collectivism" and "family orientation" toward establishing an evidence base crucial to understanding, assessing, and treating Asian and Asian American clients, including:

Linguistic factors and language assessment of Asians.Society and acculturation in Asian and Asian American communitiesMental illness from Asian and Asian American perspectives.Understanding cognitive differences across the lifespan: comparing Eastern and Western culturesClinical interviews and qualitative assessment with Asian clientsNeuropsychological test selection with Asian clients

Unique in its scope and detail, "Neuropsychology with Asians and Asian Americans "is a necessary resource for neuropsychologists and rehabilitation specialists as well as social workers and clinical, counseling, and school psychologists.

"

This book addresses several problems related to automated valuation methodologies (AVM). Following the non-agency mortgage crisis, it offers a variety of approaches to improve the efficiency and quality of an automated valuation methodology (AVM) dealing with emerging problems and different contexts. Spatial issue, evolution of AVM standards, multilevel models, fuzzy and rough set applications and quantitative methods to define comparables are just some of the topics discussed.

Discover the intricate tapestry of international politics and governance with this book. The book delves into the diverse nature of globally significant actors and systems across multiple regions. From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Middle East, this collection of thought-provoking case studies explores the role of regional actors in the international system. Combining theoretical innovation with empirical analysis, this volume expands the boundaries of International Relations (IR) and Area Studies (AS), showcasing their interconnections throughout history and in contemporary contexts. Through illuminating case studies drawn from the fields of "Comparative Regionalism" and "Non-Western IR Theory," the book sheds light on pressing international events. Unpacking complex questions, the contributors examine the application of IR scholarship to global events and provide fresh insights into political dynamics, conflicts, and state instability across various regions. By offering a comparative perspective on threats, political contestation, and security policies, this book challenges existing perspectives and enriches the debate. With its methodological and epistemological explorations, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of international relations and security studies, as well as researchers focusing on specific world areas. Embark on a captivating journey through the multifaceted landscape of global affairs.

In 1900, Franca Raimondi lived a privileged life in Sicily. Franca puts aside her intellectual ambition and marries Edoardo Privitera, an American exporter. They marry and are blessed with a daughter, Giulia. In 1908, an earthquake buries their beloved child beneath the rubble. Miraculously, Franca and Edoardo rescue her, but the pain and suffocation foreshadow things to come. Giulia, too, nurtures her intellect, but her ambitions are thwarted by Mussolini's March on Rome and the impassioned love of Alissandru Leone. Although they marry and add two children to the family, Alissandru's philandering ways drive a wedge between them.

Seeking a better life, Franca, Giulia and their husbands move to the United States in the late 1920s, as the Great Depression rages. Again, their path to prosperity is impeded. As Alissandru's affairs and temper splint the family, Franca rescues her grandchildren. She's determined to oppose the forces of nature, love, and politics that have thus far divided their lives. Splintered Lives will invade your dreams and infuse your mind with romance gone adrift. Only the deep love of a grandmother can restore the family to splendor as she tells the children, "You come from intelligence and class; surely it must come through."

This book discusses the role of the property market cycle in real estate valuation. Challenging traditional property valuation methods that rely on current market conditions and economic trends, this book argues for a re-evaluation of the relationship between property valuation and cycles in property markets. The book is divided into two parts. The first part gathers research on property market cycle analysis and the delicate problems dealing with property market information including the development of the real estate market index, appraisal bias, and the use of time series in plotting the market cycle. The second part proposes several possible modifications to the traditional income approach methodologies, including cyclical capitalization and the hedonic price method. Furthermore, this part also addresses the need for amendments to current s property valuation standards and institutional regulations. Written by an international cross-section of expert voices in market cycles and property valuation, the book is a comprehensive resource for any researcher or upper-level student studying economic volatility.

This book focuses on transnationalism as a key concept to evaluate how Europe experiences, perceives and responds to current cross-border security challenges from a legal and political perspective. The chapters in this volume specifically provide state-of-the-art accounts on several legal and political developments that have recently taken place in relation to transnational issues, such as terrorism, irregular migration and human rights violations. It specifically discusses how Europe experiences, perceives and responds to security challenges with the expectation to identify those facets of transnationalism that would ‘equally’ concern political scientists and legal scholars, especially those working on subjects pertaining to the EU governance. Through a timely analysis of the specificities of these cases, the book contributes to a much wider debate on whether and to what extent the changes and practices identified are still in accordance with cornerstones of the EU governance project, such as fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. Overall, the book provides a fresh reading on the current status of security across Europe and the way it is understood and practiced from a multidisciplinary perspective With a revised introduction and a new conclusion, this edited volume this is the ideal companion for students, researchers and practitioners interested in law, public policy and administration, and security. This book was originally published in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies.

Level up your Game Master skills with these fun, interactive prompts and activities to help your worldbuilding from RPG expert James D'Amato. Make your next campaign truly unique with the help of this interactive guide to world building! From RPG expert James D'Amato comes a fun new guide that teaches beginner and experienced gamers alike how to build and create their own game elements for customizing existing adventures or creating new stories from scratch. The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide includes dozens of activities for a wide range of genres from fantasy and sci-fi to horror and x-punk. This lively and interactive book helps Game Masters create dynamic destinations, powerful items, shadowy organizations, compelling villains, and more. Make the most of your gaming experience with these unique and personalized ideas for your gaming group's next adventures!

The Dominican Republic is the most visited country in the Caribbean and, according to CNN, the second-happiest place on the planet. However, most of its workers make less than fifteen dollars a day, it has around two million stateless people, and 70 percent of its schools do not offer students safe drinking water.

The island is certainly a fascinating place for students to research, so why not take a social justice trip there so they can see it for themselves? That was what Kevin LaMastra had in mind when he took his students to the DR for some snorkeling, horseback riding, and waterfall jumping, but also to check out a garbage dump, a sweatshop, and an HIV/AIDS orphanage.

We learn the most when we step outside our comfort zones. That's not exactly LaMastra's sales pitch when he's looking for students to sign up each year, but it becomes the leading philosophy of the trip when he takes them to bond with survivors of Haiti's 2010 earthquake, to visit communities hidden deep inside sugarcane fields, and to witness an actual Vodou ceremony.

This book investigates counterterrorism responses from a strategic-culturalist perspective, focusing on France and Italy in the post-9/11 era. Terrorism occupies a predominant space within contemporary political debate across all European countries. Recent attacks in Europe have raised many questions about the status of counterterrorism structures within European countries, revealing a wide range of practical as well as discursive security implications. This work provides an original contribution to the understanding of counterterrorism by asking how values, norms, and a shared sense of identity matter in policy dynamics. It explores and assesses which cultural elements are relevant for the fight against terrorism and investigates the impact which these elements can have on practical approaches to terrorism. Despite the current attention to terrorist attacks in Europe, the cases of France and Italy in counterterrorism affairs are particularly overlooked by the existing literature; this book analyses, questions, and examines the strategy of these two countries through the instruments offered by the culturalist approaches to strategy. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism studies, discourse analysis, European politics, security studies, and international relations in general.

This full-color modern classic of golf instruction by teaching pro Manuel de la Torre (former PGA Teacher of the Year and Golf Digest ranked teacher) presents a simple approach to the golf swing based on Ernest Jones's widely praised principles. Understanding the Golf Swing includes information on the philosophy of the golf swing (with emphasis on the development of a true swinging motion), the most thorough analysis of ball flights available, and analysis of the principles of special shot play (including sand play, pitching, chipping, putting, and playing unusual shots) and the mental side of golf and effective course management. The final chapter offers an organized approach to understanding golf courses and playing conditions. The result is a blend of philosophy and practical advice found in few golf instructional books.

The increasing scarcity of land and the ever-rising amount of waste produced worldwide, coupled with the consequent change of focus by policy makers from waste disposal and recovery to waste prevention is boosting research in the 'economics of waste'. This volume addresses waste-management and waste-disposal issues, embedding them in spatial, systemic and trade-related frameworks. The collection is policy oriented, including socio-economic and political science perspectives in order to provide an understanding of real world phenomena, and thus maximize its value for policy making. The book includes contributions on the linkages between income and waste generation and landfilling (such as the 'waste Kuznets curve' conceptual framework), in addition to papers that bring together policy-oriented analysis of instrument effectiveness and the spatial nature of waste phenomena. On top of this, there are pieces of research emphasizing technological spillovers and trade at interregional and intercountry levels. The comparative analysis of policy effectiveness and efficiency at the regional and country levels is also covered, including the assessment of the potential role of illegal management of waste in determining waste performance. To give a spatial and comparative flavour, the book includes work on the evaluation of waste-related externalities, with examples covering household, industrial and special waste. The wide set of methodologies and issues included in this book make it a comprehensive starting point for scholars and policy makers interested in waste-related research.

Why are migration policies sometimes heavily contested and high on the political agenda? And why do they, at other moments and in other countries, hardly lead to much public debate? The entrance and settlement of migrants in Western Europe has prompted various political reactions. In some countries anti-immigration parties have gained substantial public support while in others migration policies have been hardly controversial. The Politicisation of Migration examines the differences between seven Western European countries by developing a conceptual framework to empirically explain patterns of politicisation and de-politicisation. The analyses show that over the past decade immigration has been increasingly defined in socio-cultural terms and that it has been receiving less political attention since the economic crisis started in 2007. This book also looks at the role of mainstream parties and political actors in the process of politicisation, and demonstrates how the role of 'challengers' is more limited than often assumed. Contributing to literatures on migration, party politics and agenda-setting, the book will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of politics and migration studies.

Why are migration policies sometimes heavily contested and high on the political agenda? And why do they, at other moments and in other countries, hardly lead to much public debate? The entrance and settlement of migrants in Western Europe has prompted various political reactions. In some countries anti-immigration parties have gained substantial public support while in others migration policies have been hardly controversial. The Politicisation of Migration examines the differences between seven Western European countries by developing a conceptual framework to empirically explain patterns of politicisation and de-politicisation. The analyses show that over the past decade immigration has been increasingly defined in socio-cultural terms and that it has been receiving less political attention since the economic crisis started in 2007. This book also looks at the role of mainstream parties and political actors in the process of politicisation, and demonstrates how the role of 'challengers' is more limited than often assumed. Contributing to literatures on migration, party politics and agenda-setting, the book will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of politics and migration studies.

The folk artists of Italy have created some of the most beautiful crafts in the world: laces, mosaics, leatherwork, quilting, and wood inlay are among the most well-known. In this vintage book, originally published in 1977, Janet and Alex D Amato explore these traditional Italian crafts as well as others not so well known, such as tambour (a kind of crocheting worked directly into a fabric), straw marquetry (a mosaic-like craft done with tiny pieces of straw), wood carving and quillwork. They explain each craft as it was originally practiced, then adapt it to make contemporary craft pieces. The projects include an embroidered full length apron, a bobbin lace wall hanging, a straw marquetry box, jewelry, and many more. Also included are instructions for a Presepio (a traditional Italian manger scene) and a Pinocchio marionette. Italian Crafts will teach you the traditional folk arts of Italy, and will inspire you to use those folk arts in new and creative ways. There are line drawings and photographs throughout this unique book."

Interest in issues surrounding sustainable production-consumption systems and alternatives to fossil fuels is booming. The circular bioeconomy is currently mainstreamed in policy-making, industry and academia as an important part of the solution to the climate crisis and towards the creation of more sustainable economies. Based on the University-level teaching and research experience of the four authors in Italy, Finland, and France, this textbook fills an important gap in the literature by providing an in-depth and unique guide to the circular bioeconomy. The chapters critically discuss the potential contribution of a circular bioeconomy to fostering societal and organizational transformations towards sustainability globally. This timely book joins a suite of important new titles on sustainability, environmental and ecological economics.

This book reaches out to a wide variety of professionals in the biomedical field with an interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Enormous progress has been made in the last few years since the publication of the first edition in the study of complex diseases and IBD, with hundreds of genomic regions identified that are associated with increased risk. Authored by leading clinical and research scientists in the field, the book includes state-of-the art synopses of recent genetic findings, and their interpretation for current and future exploitation in translational approaches to personalized medicine in IBD. The book also covers risk prediction, improved diagnostic and therapeutic precision, dissection of disease phenotypes and subtypes, identification of biomarkers, and host gene-microbiota interactions of clinical relevance.